This invention relates to monoclonal antibodies.
Human peripheral blood contains a sub-population of mononuclear cells called natural killer (NK) cells, which are defined by their ability to lyse tumor cells in vitro in the absence of antibody or previous immunization.
Griffin et al. (1983) J. Immunol. 130, 2947, hereby incorporated by reference, describes a monoclonal antibody to NK cells (designated "N901") which is unreactive with non-NK human monocytes, granulocytes, B lymphocytes, T cells, erythrocytes, and platelets. The antibody is incapable of lysing NK cells and NK-like cells in vitro in the presence of complement. (As used herein, the term "NK-like cells" refers to cells found elsewhere than in normal peripheral blood, e.g., cultured NK cells, or cells in other organs or in malignancies, and either having the lytic capability of NK cells, or bearing a surface antigenic determinant specific to NK cells.)
Perussia et al. (1983) J. Immunol. 130, 2133, hereby incorporated by reference, describes another monoclonal antibody reactive with NK cells.